Follow the author of this article

Follow the topics within this article

The words “Valentine’s Day” strike fear into the hearts of single people and couples alike; a consumerist nightmare which forces you to either spend a fortune on flowers and dinner for someone else or on wine, three pizzas and ill-advised movie rentals all for yourself. But in recent years a more heartfelt – and in many ways more romantic – alternative has emerged on February 13: Galentine’s Day.

It’s a day for women to ditch the significant other and celebrate the female friendships in their lives – and it’s all thanks to the US sitcom Parks and Recreation. In 2010, a mere 22 minutes of bureaucratic-based humour birthed a trend – nay, a movement – that lives on to this literal day.

Greg Daniels...

Register for free to read this article, or log in to your Telegraph account